Maximum Tolerated Dose Definition

Maximum Tolerated Dose: In conventional treatment, this phrase is used to describe the highest dose of chemotherapy that can be given without the patient’s having unacceptable, severe side effects or dying from the treatment. The higher the chemotherapy dose is the more cancer cells are killed; therefore, the aim of chemotherapy is to give as high a dose as possible with the fewest (manageable) side effects. There is a great deal of information on chemotherapy side effects and how to manage them in Chapter 11 of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.